The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) has accused the state government of neglecting the long-pending demands of medical college doctors, despite the Cabinet recently announcing several welfare initiatives. The association warned that it would launch an indefinite strike if the government failed to act promptly.
According to an IANS report, KGMCTA stated on October 30 that the continued disregard for doctors who balance both patient care and teaching duties was “deeply unfair.” The group emphasized that none of its key demands had been fulfilled despite repeated assurances from the government.
Frustrated by the government’s inaction on crucial issues such as delayed pay revisions and staff shortages, medical college doctors had already boycotted outpatient services on October 28, 2025.
Their list of demands includes correcting discrepancies in entry-level pay, clearing pending arrears from the 2016 pay revision, creating additional medical and teaching posts in new colleges, improving hospital infrastructure, releasing overdue dearness allowance (DA) payments, and removing what they described as an “unjust” pension ceiling imposed on state-paid faculty.
The association said pay anomalies affecting Assistant Professors have made government service unattractive, leading many young doctors to opt for the private sector instead. While the 2016 pay revision was implemented in 2020, the arrears remain unpaid even though other government employees have received their dues in full.
“It is unfortunate that doctors who risked their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and brought recognition to the state are now being neglected,” the statement said.
KGMCTA also criticized the delay in sanctioning new posts in the medical colleges at Kasaragod and Wayanad, stating that the related files have been pending in the Health and Finance departments for over a year despite repeated assurances.
The association further described the imposition of a pension ceiling aligned with state pay scales while medical college faculty receive central pay as “unjust and demoralizing.”
Warning of stronger protests, KGMCTA announced that its Central Executive Committee would soon meet to decide on launching an indefinite strike if the government’s indifference continued.
